Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Antoine Semenyo picks favorite between the 2 superstars

Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo has weighed in on the GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, picking the Argentine icon as his favorite between the two.

The debate over who the best player is between Messi and Ronaldo is not ending anytime soon, at least not when the pair are still playing the sport. Both players dominated the scene for almost two decades and are still going strong despite being in the twilight of their careers.

During a segment on the AwayDays YouTube channel, Semenyo made his stance clear when asked about the long-running Messi vs Ronaldo debate, saying:

“Messi 100%. I’m not downplaying what Ronaldo has done. What he’s done is unbelievable. And what they are both doing is great. But personally, I’m a Messi fan.”

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have cemented their status as benchmarks used to measure greatness in the sport. Together, they hold the record for the most Ballon d’Or awards. Messi has won it a record eight times, while Ronaldo has five to his name.

Cristiano Ronaldo told by former Atletico Madrid star that Lionel Messi is ‘the number one’ in GOAT debate

Former Atletico Madrid left-back Filipe Luis placed Lionel Messi above Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT debate, saying that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner stands above every other footballer.

Luis, who is currently coaching Flamengo, faced both players multiple times, most notably in LaLiga. During an appearance on The Obi One Podcast in October, Luis was asked by former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel to choose between the pair, to which he said:

“He’s the player I most enjoyed watching; I watched every Barcelona game. And you know, every game, every team, every coach who faced Barcelona, their concern was doing something to stop him. Of all the players I've seen - because I didn't see Pele or Maradona - I didn't feel anything like that with Messi. He's number one, I'm a huge fan of his, and I think he's brought a lot of joy to many people with his style of play. “I watched every Barcelona game, even when I was playing for Deportivo La Coruna or Atletico. If Barcelona was playing on Saturday at eight o'clock at night, I couldn't go out to eat; I had to stay and watch the game because Messi was going to be playing. And when I played against him, my only thought was to stop him, to think about how to try and beat him. He's the player who challenged me the most. So, he’s the number one. I’m a really huge fan of him and I think he gave happiness to a lot of people because of the way he played football.”

Interestingly, Lionel Messi is the player Filipe Luis faced the most during his professional career, with the two coming up against each other 27 times. Meanwhile, he faced Cristiano Ronaldo on 19 occasions.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide